2014 Employee Recognition Awards - Health

GOLD - David Kramer-Urner

As the Supervising Therapist for the California Children's Services (CCS) Medical Therapy Program, Dave is responsible for planning, directing, organizing, reviewing, and evaluating the work of the CCS unit. Dave is recognized within the Health Services Agency, in the local community, and throughout the state as an exceptional motivator who fosters a positive work environment, inspires trust through open communication, and diligently works to ensure the best level of care for CCS clients. As a member of a number of statewide groups, including the California Children's Services Executive Committee and the State Functional Outcomes Workgroup, Dave plays an active role in the development of policies and opportunities for learning, ensuring that the voice of smaller counties is heard. Dave's contributions to these statewide initiatives have allowed programs in Santa Cruz County to evolve based on best practice and evidence-based models of care. In 2014, Dave advocated for four staff therapists to attend the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine in San Diego. This training allowed staff to learn about new evidence-based developments in applied and translational sciences, prevention, diagnosis, and technology. Dave is a tremendous asset to the Health Services Agency and to children and families in our community, and his contributions merit public recognition.

SILVER - Maria Rosillo

As a Medical Care Service Worker at the Watsonville Health Center, Maria consistently demonstrates extraordinary compassion for patients served by the clinic and is an uncompromising advocate on their behalf. Maria coordinates specialty care referrals, a critically important element to ensuring timely and proper medical treatment, and is an unwavering navigator of what are often mysterious and complicated systems surrounding insurance, specialty appointments, and eligibility verifications. She is an outstanding trainer, helping ensure that Medical Assistants are both familiar with and up to date on complicated referral processes, often stepping in to personally troubleshoot referrals when problems arise. Maria also participated in a referral system redesign which resulted in a new training program for reception staff, significantly improving the referral process for Clinic patients. Maria has developed outstanding personal relationships with specialty care providers and office staffs in the community, which is an essential element in helping assure timely access to patient services. Her devotion to duty, as well as her work on behalf of clinic staff and patients, is exceptional and deserving of public recognition.

Members of the Children's Mental Health Community Clinics Team work with children and youth who have significant mental health challenges. Parents of children and youth facing these challenges often have difficulty navigating the many complex healthcare systems in order to access care, while stigma and shame can also prevent parents from seeking mental health services for their children. In an effort to increase access to critically needed services, team members are focusing on integrating behavioral health with primary healthcare services at the Watsonville Health Clinic, Santa Cruz Planned Parenthood, the Women's Health Center, and the Eastside Health Center. The team's collaborative work has enabled parents of children and youth, who may not feel comfortable seeking mental health services through the existing Children's Mental Health system of care, to access services in a familiar primary care setting. Hundreds of youth and their families have benefited from this extremely innovative program, and it is fitting to recognize each member of the team for the many ways they work together to determine the proper course of treatment in light of what are often diverse, challenging, and complex client needs.